Facebook launches smartphone app for event seekers

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook on Friday released a mobile app for finding local happenings to enjoy with friends.

The Events app tailored for iPhones hit Apple’s online shop, with a version “coming soon” for smartphones powered by Google-backed Android software, Facebook product manager Aditya Koolwal said in on online post.

Events is a stand-alone spin on a section at the leading online social network that lets people share plans for concerts, poetry slams, plays or other types of events they are interested in attending.

“When you open Events, you can quickly catch up on new events your friends are interested in, recently-announced events by the Pages you like, and updates from events you’re already connected to,” Koolwal said.

More than 100 million people daily use Facebook’s events section to discover activities they can take part in with friends, according to Koolwal.

The Events app lets people browse for happenings based on factors such as location or interest, and to explore potential outing options with the help of interactive maps.

Plans made in Events are organized on a calendar and shared back to Facebook friends.

California-based Facebook has been building a family of mobile applications to stay tuned into modern lifestyles in which smartphones are used to quickly connect and share with friends or colleagues.

Facebook has a mobile app for the social network, as well as Messenger and WhatsApp messaging programs that each claim more than a billion users.

Facebook also owns photo and video sharing app Instagram, which reported earlier this year that it topped 500 million users.